Angel for All
by Naowt
Summary: Another time, another place. In a world of darkness, Uraraka Ochako has been chosen as the next bearer of the torch, the new inheritor of One For All. But how do you save a world that doesn't know what a hero is? How do you save those who don't want saving? AU.
1. Chapter 1

Winter had come again to the city with all its strife.

The streets and roads were covered in a thick layer of snow. It piled up against the buildings, only a few entrances cleared by some sorry sap who thought they were making a difference. Old cars were trapped under mounds of snow, casting their shadows sporadically as the street lamps flickered above. It wouldn't be long before they gave out, plunging Main Street into the darkness that sank the rest of the city. Above the dying lights the buildings crumbled. Most windows had been boarded up, others remained smashed, but signs of life still seeped through the cracks, like someone had poked needles into the homes, releasing what little luminescence they had.

Below, the ransacked remains of the high street had become home to those who could not fight any longer, forced to live around dwindling fires dancing in trash cans. They sat as groups, never alone, and simply stared into the fire. There was nothing left for them to do except waste away.

Uraraka Ochako never wanted to fall that far. That's why she snuck out after her parents went to bed. She was going to make sure they would never become that hopeless.

It was the only place that was open twenty-four-seven, because even though the nights were to be feared, people could never stop trying to scrape a living. The risk far outweighed the reward, and the game they played was all about risks.

She arrived at _The Last Resort_ just before midnight. It was an amazing building - an old bank people said - which had its entrance cleared of snow. Her legs were relieved at the lack of resistance the new footing provided, the packed snow beneath feeling like carpet. Unlike the rest of Main Street, _The Last Resort_ was well lit. High powered bulbs were strung along the old stone, the wires feeding into a window that Uraraka assumed led to a generator. No way was it on the grid.

Some scorch marks were dashed across the bricks. She was making her way home when the attack happened. It was a small group who felt cheated by the owner, so they responded with molotov cocktails. Ochako, like the others, watched it anxiously, some primal fear taking hold and twisting her insides. When the inevitable happened and the Enforcers came, it was like they were waiting for the horrific show all along. The vandals were dealt with and strung up and the Enforcers left without a word.

It reminded Ochako that yes, she could die, and that fear she carried around in her stomach wasn't irrational.

Blinking away the memory, Ochako shook her feet to clear the snow off before entering the building. The heavy wooden door gave away easier than she thought, and when it opened she was hit with a wave of heat that dried her eyes and flushed her cold face.

"Close the door behind you."

She did and the howling winds were cut off, leaving her in silence save for the slight hum of the heating unit. Ochako took her hat off and pulled down her scarf below her chin.

 _The Last Resort_ was something dreamlike. Never before had Ochako seen such cleanliness. The floor was marble, browns and creams melting together. In the centre, halos of light were born from the reflection of the chandelier above. At the back, nestled between two red pillars, was a marble counter topped with safety glass which protected an old, spindly woman who sat behind it. Beside the pillars were a set of curved stairs on either side that led to another floor. She could only imagine what happened up there.

As she walked up to the counter, the same questions that had been repeating all night whispered louder. Why was she here? Was there another option? Why did it have to be this way? Why did she have to sell herself, hadn't they taken enough?

"Welcome to the last resort. How can I help you today?" The woman's words were slow and croaked, rising and falling in a rugged pitch.

Ochako grabbed the bottom of her coat tightly. This was it. "I'm… here to sell."

The woman picked up a pen. "Name and age."

"Uraraka Ochako, nineteen."

She scribbled on some paper. "Quirk."

"Zero gravity."

The woman hummed. "Interesting," she said before returning to the paperwork. Ochako tried to take a peek, but the counter was too tall. "What does that entail?"

"I can make anything I touch weightless. It doesn't matter if it's living or inanimate, and it doesn't have a limit on how many objects either." Ochako cringed as her voice cracked the silence.

The woman hummed again. She went back to writing for a few minutes in which Ochako looked everywhere but forward.

The paper was slammed on the counter and pushed through a small slit between the safety glass. Ochako picked it up. Most of it didn't make sense, she couldn't read that well, but numbers she could understand.

"Twenty-four-thousand? That's it?" She held the paper in trembling hands. "There has to be a mistake, surely my quirk is worth more than this!" It wasn't enough. Far too little. Not even a fifth.

"Listen, girl, I don't have the patience to deal with this tonight. Take it or leave it."

"Isn't there someone else who can take a look?" Ochako stuttered.

The woman tutted and pointed at Ochako with her pen. "I'm the only evaluator here, and I've been doing this job for years. I've had punks come in here with quirks that could level this entire building. I've also had useless bags of shit whose quirks were only good for cleaning the floor. Yours isn't that special, honey, and the sooner you realise that's what your gonna get, the sooner I take my hand away from the phone to the Enforcers. Take it or leave it."

Twenty-four-thousand wasn't enough, but it was more than they'd ever had. It was still something. A starting point at least. She wasn't making the wrong decision, not at all. She just had to keep that positive outlook, unless she wanted to end up like the hopeless outside.

"A-alright. I'll take it." The moment the words left her mouth it felt like her soul had been sucked out. She felt dizzy.

The woman slid a pen through, calmer than before. "Sign there, there, and there. Nobody checks these damn things, but I like to keep it official."

The pen was awkward in Ochako's hand. She couldn't write that well, and she didn't really know how to do a signature. Her name should be enough, she hoped. The lines were wobbly as her hands shook. The first felt like her arm was fighting her hand, trying to pull it away as her mind buzzed. The second one however, was easier, almost automatic.

Her pen touched the third line when there was a slam at the door. The woman perked up, a scowl on her wrinkly face. "What's going on out there now?" there didn't seem to be any trouble when Ochako was going in, and she had a pretty good sense for mounting danger. Was she distracted by the thoughts in her head? "You, girl, check it out."

"Me? Why?"

"Because it would save me the trouble of calling the Enforcers on a dud. And I'll give you a bit extra for your quirk. A favour for a favour."

Ochako thought of the money. She was sure there wouldn't be much added on, but a little was better than nothing. "Okay," she said before she went for the door.

She reached for the handle and jumped when it slammed again. When the door stopped shaking, she opened it a little and peeked through. There, lying on the floor, was an old man. He was wrapped head to toe in clothes, but he was still shivering, the small bit of grey hair whipping in the wind. "Please. Please," he said in a deep voice, "help me."

"Well," came the impatient call of the old woman, "what is it?"

Ochako took her eyes from the man. "It's an old person. He looks cold." As she spoke he was crawling his way to the faint heat that seeped through the doorway.

"Tell him to buzz off, then come over here and we can get this started."

Ochako looked back at he man. He was reaching for her leg, bony fingers clutching her ankle feebly. "Please," he whispered.

"Girl!"

"Please."

"Get back in here and shut that door. If he bangs again I'll call the Enforcers on him! Tell him!"

Ochako bent down and grasped his hand, hoping to warm it between her gloves. "I'm sorry, Ojii-san," she said. "You have to go away from here. The 'forcers will come if you don't."

His fingers twitched. "Sorry. Sorry. Please."

"You want your money or not?!"

Ochako looked back inside, torn. Her heart was thudding. "I-I'll be back later!"

"You leave now and I won't give you a single yen ever again!"

Everything was tense; her teeth felt like they would shatter with how hard she was clenching her jaw. She looked at the old man again, and her mind was set. Without looking back, she put her hat back on and pulled her scarf up, closing the door behind her. The cold hit her as soon as she did. Yet again she was cocooned in the whooshing winds.

The man was discomforted by the lack of heat. "Please."

Ochako grabbed the man's arm, looping it over her shoulders as she slowly rose. Even through the layers of clothing she could feel the thinness of his arm, the bones protruding from thin skin. He followed her up without much issue, but leaned into her side. She barely felt his weight. How had he survived this far into the winter without freezing to death?

Seeing a fire surrounded by hopeless, she carried the man to them, bringing him as close to the heat as possible. The survivalist in her told her that warmth would not be enough, the man was clearly malnourished as well, a step away from death's door. The human in her said that he still had a chance, and if he was to die she could still show him a measure of kindness he may have never felt.

Although there were seats nearby, he made no attempt to move away, standing still in his black clothing. "Thank. You," he chattered.

"It's fine." She was down twenty-four-thousand, but she was fine. At least she still had her quirk.

His eye caught hers, a blue glint under a shadowed gaze. "You. Good person. Hero."

She cocked her head. "Hero?" It sounded foreign.

"Yes. Hero, good person."

"Well, thank you… I guess."

He must have been getting warm, as heat bloomed at her side. "I was hero," he said. "Big hero. Big failure." He looked at the fire. "Now here. Now nothing. No hope."

She looked at the fire too. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she thought it good to listen to the words of a lonely man. "It's not all bad." His eye glinted again. "Well, it _is_ that bad, I guess."

"My fault," he said. "Sorry." He stumbled and Ochako hurried to sit him down on a plastic chair. "Ah. Sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologising," she said, checking him over.

"No. Sorry." He pointed at her side. "Mess."

She looked at her side whilst she patted her coat. It was sticky and warm, and for a second she felt sick until she raised her fingers to the light. Blood. Her eyes snapped to his side where red it was dripping onto the floor below. She rushed over and put a hand to the wound.

"Help!" she shouted to the others around they fire. They just looked into nothingness. "Help!" she shouted to the street. Some lights went off. "He-"

"No," the man interrupted.

"You need help! A doctor, a stitcher, somebody!"

"No," he repeated, deep voice steeled. "Too far. Hurts bad. Only wanted help. To sit down."

She took in his laboured breathing, his slumping pose. "Come on, Ojii-san, you can't go yet."

"Ah. My time."

"How did this happen to you?" He didn't have anything to take. No reason for a mugging.

"Some men bad. I'm weak. Fun. For them." She was angry. Who would hurt such an innocent old man for fun? "No problem. My time." He reached for her sleeve. "Listen. Please?" He tucked his other hand into his coat, pulling out a phial. The glass was black and dirty, but something gold glinted from within. "Take." He shook it towards her. "Take," he repeated.

She cradled it in her left hand.

"Keep. Eat. My quirk. Final wish." His words were coming out rushed and breathy, the previous strength fading into pathetic pants. "You. Good. Hero. Spark in your heart. Take. Can't let. It die."

She struggled to keep up with his words. "O-Ojii-san, what are you saying?"

"Yagi."

"Eh?"

He pointed to himself. "Yagi."

"Yagi-san, just what do you want me to do with this?"

"Eat. Carry on. One for all."

He wanted her to eat whatever was in the phial? She wouldn't, she'd come too far to die from some weird food an old man had been carrying around for ages. She was interested in one thing though. "Yagi-san, what is a hero?"

He smiled a toothy smile. "You. Me. Everyone. They are hope. Light." Something they were short on in this world. Yagi gasped and shuddered. "P-please. Eat. When ready. Too soon. Bad. Must. Be strong. Die if not."

"Yagi-san. Yagi-san!" He was nodding off. Her shout caught his attention.

"Can you. Smile?"

She felt her heart chip. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why was she crying over a man she didn't know? Shakily, the corners of her mouth turned upwards and she pulled her scarf down.

Yagi relaxed in his seat. "Good. Nice. Always smile. Promise?"

She held his shoulder and nodded. "Promise," she said.

"Good."

His head dropped. His body was still. The last breath had left him.

Ochako cried into her scarf, holding the phial close as the snow fell and the wind howled.


	2. Chapter 2

Ochako got home just after one. She lived in the outskirts of the city like most of those who were the last of the Migration. It was ten years ago when people who lived in the suburbs and countryside could no longer sustain themselves; disease had ravaged what little crops there were and the old shops had long been looted. The only places with light left were the cities, and people knew how well they had it. The concrete jungles were like parasites, stretching their veins and sucking the land dry. Gangs had come to their little town many times and left with carts full of spoils. The weak could not resist.

When the people from the country packed up and left, they did it together, to make a stronger front. Ochako and her parents were in the back of the mob when it happened. A blockade had been set up: hastily constructed walls made of corrugated iron and spare wood. Vicious spikes had been driven in, glinting under the moonlight.

There was yelling, anger, and spittle. The migrants were angry at being denied entrance, the city dwellers didn't want some bumpkins taking their stuff.

Ochako still didn't know who shot first, she was too small and being kept in the safety of her mother's arms. All she knew was what followed was chaos. A thrum seemed to go through the air, making her nerves twitch and her hairs to stand up. Then, like the tide, the migrants surged forward, quirks activating as some took to the air. Bullets were flying, people were screaming, and blood pooled on the ground.

It felt like days had passed until the smoke cleared. When it did, all that remained of the migrants were their corpses, only a few dozen left who didn't take part in the fighting. The city dwellers didn't care if they did or not as they aimed their quirks and guns at the survivors. Ochako was shielded by her parents. Her mother cried. Her father held them both close.

Nothing happened.

Ochako shuffled in her parent's grip and freed herself. Her mother screamed her name, but when she turned to the barricade she became silent. Something like awe filled little Ochako as she gazed at the figure stood in the air.

He was huge. Around seven feet, and with shoulders wide and square, he was dressed in a black suit that was crisp and clean. She couldn't see his face since he was silhouetted by the moon.

He raised a hand and the barricade dented, bending until it was ripped in half, curling outwards. The screeching of metal finished and with a gust of wind the man vanished.

It took them a few minutes to realise they were being let in. Another family moved first, tentatively stepping towards the city. They met no resistance. Ochako's family moved soon after.

She never saw the man again, but she knew where he lived: The Tower. The tallest building in the city. It stood twenty stories above everything else. It had no windows apart from at the top, where the man gazed upon his kingdom.

Her home was small and drafty, which was handy for when they wanted to start a fire, it gave the fumes somewhere to go. However, it came back to bite them in the winter. A few extra layers and a couple more quilts held the biting cold at bay as they huddled around the fire. The door was something she modified herself; it was reinforced with an old table top and was weighed down by a neighbour's gym set. Anybody of regular strength wouldn't be able to budge it, but with a slight touch she could push it open easily.

Doing so, she let herself in, relieved to see the orange glow of the fire coming from the living room. She couldn't wait to crawl back into bed and get the night over with. A good sleep would hopefully fix the gaping hole she felt in her chest.

Ochako entered the room slowly. Her parents were awake.

"Mum, dad. What are you doing up? You should be asleep." She kept her voice quiet. "I was just out doing some stuff. Found something we can trade." She noticed the blankets were on the floor. She gasped and picked them up. "Look what you've done."

Ochako gave them a little shake, noting they were still warm; they hadn't been off them for long. She draped the blankets over her mother's front, tucking them between her back and the chair she was sat on. "There, all better now," Ochako said.

Her mother stared, mouth hanging open. Drool began to spill out as her tongue worked uselessly. Ochako used her mother's scarf to wipe it away. "Uh. Uh." She squirmed in her chair. "Uh."

"Oh! Sorry, mum." Ochako moved to the side. As her mother gazed upon the fire once more, she stilled. Ochako looked at her father and found him bundled up just like she left him. "I'm sorry I worried you both, it won't happen again." They stared at the fire. "I'm going to bed now. I'll be sure to make it up to you tomorrow with a nice breakfast!"

She gave them a thumbs up and a smile before making her way to her futon. It lay in the centre of the room, a slight distance from the fire, and was covered in several blankets and quilts. It was old, patchy and dirty, but it still insulated the heat well enough, and the pillow was just the right kind of worn where it fit her head perfectly. Its position also let her keep an eye on the living room door, as well as her parents and the kitchen. If she didn't check the place she would never sleep.

Ochako removed her boots, scrunching her nose at the smell. Walking all day and night had her work up quite a sweat. Next she removed her coat, taking care to not break the phial. Like the futon, she had the coat for just as long. It was grey with a fur lining around the neck. On the inside lay about twelve pockets, all sewn on by herself. Her scarf and hat came off and she was ready for bed. She longed for summer to come again so she's be able to sleep in thinner clothes; a jumper with two t-shirts beneath kept her warm, but she always woke up feeling sticky.

She slid into bed and pulled the blankets over her, nestling her face into her pillow. Sleep tried to drag her eyes closed, but she couldn't help but reach through her coat pockets to look at the phial again. Ochako was scared to open it, worried that it could contain some sort of poisonous gas. She would have to do it outside tomorrow. Whatever was inside, she definitely wouldn't eat it. If anything, she'd try to sell it since it looked like gold. Perhaps a bracelet?

Thinking about the old man reminded her of the tears that were still clogged in her throat. Back at the fire, her tears started to chill her face, so she pushed them down. Now, looking at her parents too, she let them spill out onto her pillow.

To think, she was going to do what they did years ago.

Quirk removal was still a mysterious procedure. Those who underwent it couldn't remember what happened. One moment they were waiting, the next they were being pushed out the door, money in hand.

Some took the procedure better than others. Their quirks were taken away and they carried on with their lives just a little bit richer. Most, though, were broken.

Her parents seemed fine at first. They needed the money to please a newly formed gang who were 'collecting taxes', as well as some cash for food that was sparse that year. With the combined money they got from selling their quirks, the family was set for months ahead. Then things started going wrong. Dropping things, tripping over objects that weren't there, absent stares. They were slipping away quietly until it culminated in a night of screaming.

Ochako kept her head under her pillow that night, not catching a wink of sleep. When the screaming stopped and she emerged from her cocoon, her parents were on the floor, still breathing, still living, but with the absence familiar with all the other hopeless.

The removal of their quirks had ripped out some crucial part of their being and they became shells. She still cared for them, even though she was thirteen. They taught her enough to take care of herself.

Ochako just wished the world didn't have to be so cruel, so vile. A world where the weak were hunted by the strong. A world where people would sell their soul for just a few more weeks of survival.

 _Hero_.

The foreign word echoed in her mind. They were good people, he said. Hope. Light. He said he was one in the past. A 'failed' one, but one nonetheless. Whatever the word meant, it was related to what she held in her hand. From what she could piece from his broken sentences, it was something to do with his quirk, and that what lay within would 'pass it on' to her. Although strange, and possibly the crazy words of a dying old man, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility to have a quirk that could be passed on; they could be taken away after all.

It wasn't the possible quirk that fascinated her, it was the word: _hero_.

She wanted to know more, but she doubted anyone else would know of the word. Maybe there were other heroes like Yagi, hiding within the cities. She would never know, but she remembered her mother talking about a place that had all the information in the world. A library, if Ochako remembered correctly. If there was one in the city she would be able to find out more.

Sleep nudged her eyes again and she tucked the phial back into her coat. Tomorrow, after making sure her parents were fed and watered, she would try to find the library, and some answers.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading. I wasn't go to leave anything on this chapter, but it wouldn't feel right to not wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Feel free to leave feedback, I'm excited to know what you think of the setting so far!


	3. Chapter 3

She woke up feeling sticky. All her layers kept her warm at night, but she had to pinch her clothes to peel them off her skin in the morning. It was unpleasant, and she could catch a whiff off her body odour when she lifted her arms, but at least she wasn't freezing to death. After sorting her clothes she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at her parents. The fire had gone out and their heads were lolled to the side, nothing to focus on. The usual panic froze her until Ochako saw the blankets rising and falling, showing that they were still breathing in a steady rhythm.

Sighing, she turned the other way and looked out the window. They sky was grey and she had no doubt she slept longer than usual considering how late she was up. That meant she had less daylight to search for the library. Time to rush.

She got up from her futon, stretched, hugged her parents, and went for the kitchen. The cupboards still had some tins left in them and the plastic canister of water was still half-full. Pulling out a tin of peas, she pulled out her knife and cut the lid off before getting a spoon and mushing the food. Satisfied, she put the tin on the counter and got a glass, filling it with water. Breakfast was ready.

Ochako took the breakfast and went to her father. She put the peas on the floor to lift his head straight. Keeping it held, she gently put the glass to his lips and slowly poured the water into his mouth. Some of it spilled out, but his instincts made him drink, his tongue lapping up what it could get. When half of the water was emptied, she did the same for her mother. After that, she fed them.

They showed no signs of satisfaction or thankfulness. Nothing but blank stares.

Ochako scraped the bottom of the can for the leftovers. Unlike them, she would be having lunch and dinner; they didn't need a lot of nutrition with how little they moved. She drank the juice left behind and wiped her mouth. After having a drink herself, she put on her shoes and coat, made sure her parents were bundled up and safe, and left the apartment.

The ruin of the city was apparent in the daytime. In the night it was all shadow, blurred lines and hidden destruction. Now the crumbling stone and half collapsed buildings were in full view. The building across from hers looked like the front had been pulled off, revealing the old homes within. Some apartments had tarps protecting them from the outside, and a rickety wooden staircase down to the street below.

"Yo, Ochako!"

She turned to her left to see Ginjo standing outside of his building. He was a greying man who was about half her height, with mousy features thanks to his quirk. She always thought his large furry ears were adorable.

"Hey, Ginjo-san!"

He poked her side. "What have I said about all that 'san' stuff? It's just Ginjo, we're friends after all."

"Ah, sorry…"

"Don't worry about it kid. Don't know why you bother with all those suffixes anyway. Not like anybody uses them anymore." But her parents always told her to be polite; it was one of the few things they had left, they said. "Anyway, could you do us a favour? There's a couple of cans in it for you."

Well that sealed the deal. Free food was always welcome. "Sure thing. What is it?"

He smiled and ushered her inside. It was a diversion she didn't really have time for, but she would do it for a friend and some food. When they got to his apartment she noticed splintered wood on the floor. "You see, this morning I was just sitting there when I heard this loud bang. It shook the floor! I went to check it out and I saw this."

In his bathroom was another bath. There was a hole in the ceiling and the second bath was embedded in the floor.

"I sure as hell can't move it, so seeing you was a stroke of luck. As soon as I saw it I thought: you know who'd be perfect for this, that Ochako!"

He was never short on compliments. "I'll sort this out, Ginjo." She tapped the tub and felt it _poof_. From there, she gave it a bit of a wiggle until it was loosened from the floorboards where she picked it up effortlessly. "Where do you want it?"

He was smiling at her, long nose and ears twitching. "Oh that amazing, marvelous! Just put it out in the hallway, I'll find something to do with it."

He fetched her two cans of beans and escorted her out. "What are you going to do with the hole in the ceiling?"

"I always wanted to expand. Now I have a second floor!"

Ochako giggled. "That sounds great!"

"Yeah, well - " His right ear twitched and he stopped, looking at the dispensary a few doors away. A man was shouting at the owner.

"Why the hell is it more than last time?! You think you haven't robbed us enough?!"

The dispensaries were owned by the local yakuza, and thus, by the Tower. They were where people went to buy canned food, and they had a monopoly on it. There were days, when Ochako was younger and less crafty, where she went days without food because of how extortionate the prices got.

The owner was safe behind the counter, but he was a large man nonetheless. "These are the prices. I don't make 'em, so scram before you get yourself hurt."

The man banged on the glass. "This is bullshit!"

That was enough to trigger the enforcers. They emerged from their capsules on the wall, the metal containers opening with a hiss. They were humanoid robots that were black and sleek, although their lithe frame didn't mean they lacked power. The two flanked the man.

" _You are causing a disturbance. Please desist._ "

"Back off, tin can!"

" _Please, remain calm._ "

"I just want some fucking food! What you want from me?! My arm? Leg? Quirk?! I've got nothing left!" He banged on the glass again. The enforcer to the right grabbed his arm.

" _Do not resist. You are to be taken for questioning._ "

"Let go of me you rust bucket!" The man spat and a bullet flew out, hitting the enforcer in the head. Its head flew back, then snapped forward, eyes red.

It struck. Its fist blurred as it crashed into the man's head, knocking him unconscious.

It struck again.

And again.

The hammering of flesh and the whirring of servos filled the street as everyone watched. Ochako didn't know she was moving until Ginjo pulled her back, whispering harshly to her. "Leave it, Ochako!"

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

She was ready for the next one, but it never came. The enforcer stood with its arm pulled back and the man's collar in its left. Then it let go.

The man crumpled to the floor, head caved in, blood spilling onto the snow. The same blood was on the enforcer's right fist which relaxed and was placed at its side. Its eyes went white.

The owner sighed. "Can you clean this up?"

" _Certainly,_ " the other enforcer replied. It dragged the man into the road, leaving behind a brush stroke of blood. There, the enforcer dropped the man and went back to its post. " _Task complete._ "

The owner sighed again. "Good enough, I suppose. Deactivate." At his command they backed into their capsules, the doors closing with a slam. "Alright, who's next?"

Life moved on. The hustle and bustle cautiously returned, the odd glance spared at the dead man. The snow would bury him tonight.

Ochako's eyes watered. Her heart hammered in her chest. The only thing grounding her was Ginjo's tiny hand on her wrist. It wasn't fair. He was just hungry. He didn't have to die. She didn't want to die.

"You'll be fine, Ochako," Ginjo said. "You're not going any time soon. Especially with me around!" He gave her a pat on the back. "So cheer up. It's bad, but the day is a lot worse when you're not smiling."

 _Always smile. Promise?_

She couldn't muster one now, her stomach was doing flips and her fingers were tingling, but later she could manage a smile. For Ginjo. For old man Yagi. "I-I'll work on it," she sniffled.

"Good. I'll let you go now. Just stay safe, okay?" She nodded. "See ya, Ochako." He went inside.

Sparing one last look at the poor man, she looked for any signs that would start her on the right track. She couldn't read half of them.

* * *

The sun was dipping by the time she found something just on the outside of the city. It was a wide, solitary building, three stories tall, and made of red brick and strangely intact. It had two wings attached to a central building with a sign that she could partially understand in the middle. Every one of its many windows were boarded up tight, as well as the front door.

Regardless, Ochako approached, although she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She rounded the building, checking for a way in. There, on the top floor, was a window that wasn't boarded up. Checking to see the coast was clear, she tapped her fingers together and pushed herself up the building until she came to the window.

The was a gap at the bottom so she hooked her fingers underneath and pulled. It opened easily and she slipped inside. It occurred to her when she put her feet on the ground that she could be breaking into someone's home. It was a deliberate entrance that was well in use, but with it being open it meant whoever lived there had gone, since she noticed the window could only be opened from the inside.

With the size of the place, she wouldn't be surprised if multiple people lived there, but people in the city didn't share. A community meant you had to ration the food and spread the wealth; it also meant any weak links out a strain and risk on everyone. One was better off alone.

After sorting the risks in her head, she observed the room she broke into. It was dusty, but ordered, a chair tucked into a desk which was stacked with papers. An odd-shaped box was there was well, kind of like a mini television. Apart from that, there was a filing cabinet and nothing else.

Ochako left the room and froze.

Book after book after book were lined on shelves that went on forever. The hallway she was on looked over the library which was lit by the skylight above.

In a daze she walked closer.

Her head was yanked back by her hair. Something cold and sharp pressed against her neck.

"What are you doing here?" A man's voice drawled.

She couldn't get a word out. The blade pressed closer and she felt a sting. She'd been cut.

"I won't ask again."

"I-I-I want-want." She sobbed. Something warm ran down her neck. She thought of the man dead in the road. "I wanted to r-read."

"A believable story." His tongue was near her ear. "No one in this damn world wants to read."

"P-please don't kill me… I just wanted to kn-know what a-a hero is."

"Hero?" The pressure released and the man stepped away. She fell to her knees and cried into her hands. Ugly sobs filled the empty space. "Where did you hear that word?"

Blood seeped into her hands. The shave with death took away her filter. "An old man. He said he - he was a hero. I didn't know what it meant! I'm sorry! Don't kill me!"

"A hero?" He put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched, falling to the floor. It was there she could finally see him. He was tall, but carried a noticeable hunch. His eyes were glowing in the darkness, standing out from the bandages that covered his face. His mouth with its square jaw was left free from bandages, and his tongue hung from his mouth, large and full of bumps.

"You're not here for scraps?" She shook her head. "Fuel?" Again, she shook. "Just knowledge?" She nodded.

He wiped the long knife against his saggy pants and slipped it into a sheath strapped to his thigh. "I would say you were lying, but people tend to speak the truth when they are close to death." He reached out towards her. "I'm sorry about what happened, but you understand, don't you?"

She shuffled back. "Stay away!"

He stepped forward. "I'm not going to hurt you. Not anymore." She didn't believe him; she saw another knife at his waist, bigger than the other one. "I wasn't going to kill you anyway. My master wouldn't be happy if I did." He was trying to lull her into a false sense of security.

Something within her switched from 'flight' to 'fight'. Ochako grabbed the switchblade she had in the back of her waistband, disguising her movement as a panicked shuffle. He got closer as her back hit the glass wall behind her.

"Please. I'm sorry." He reached forward again.

And she pounced.

They fell to the floor. She tapped his neck and flipped him. He looked surprised for a second before his eyes narrowed. Ochako pressed the knife and held the blade by his neck. He didn't care and she saw his hand pull the jagged knife from his waist.

Ochako knew she had to end him before she got stabbed. One slight push would be all it would take. The glowing eyes of the enforcers flashed in her mind. She couldn't do it.

Instead, she pushed him away, letting him float in the air with no control. She was confused when he brought his knife to his mouth and licked the blade.

A jolt ran through her and Ochako's bones cracked as her muscles seized. She couldn't move. Oh god she couldn't move. Oh god.

But the man was still floating. She didn't throw him hard enough that he would hit anything to bounce back from. They were stuck.

"That feeling you have is my quirk," the man said. "It's why I wouldn't have killed you. I would have just paralysed you and chucked you out. I'm not a killer."

"Could have fooled me," Ochako said. Why did she say that? She didn't want to provoke him!

"I understand that the knives are threatening, but I know what I'm doing with them. If I wanted you dead I would have killed you on the spot."

It made some sense, but she was still high on adrenaline. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

He looked her dead in the eye. "If we weren't in this situation I'd leave your questions unanswered, but I see this as time to make amends." He pointed to himself. "I'm Akaguro Chizome, and this is my library. Yourself?"

He seemed honest enough. "I'm Uraraka Ochako. You know why I'm here."

"I can help you with that. I have an interest in heroes myself."

"You do?"

"Yes. My master used to talk about them all the time. He was one himself; a low ranking hero, but one who still made a difference. He used to protect this place. Now I do."

Being face down on the floor, she could still see the books on the floors below. "Why bother protecting all this?"

He scoffed. "You know why. There's lots of resources here: wood, paper, wires, lights. If I left this place it would all be gone in weeks. My master told me that we would need the information in this place when we bring society back."

"Bring it back?" What else was there other than the hell she grew up in?

"The world wasn't always this way. There used to be peace. People laughed and played and lived. You could walk the streets without fear, knowing you were protected from the evils of society. The world we live in today is just a shell of what it was. Humanity has been stripped bare. What we were, what we can be again, is all stored in these books."

The shelves seemed to grow older and more historical as he spoke. Each spine seemed to stare back. It felt like Yagi was looking at her again from his hollow eyes. There was weight in the experience they held.

"When you can move again, will you let me down?" Would she? She felt calmer now, but she could feel a small slice on her hand where his blade nicked her. Could he lick the blade again and paralyse her once more? She doubted she could beat him without the element of surprise.

She didn't have any other option than to agree. "I will."

They said nothing after that until she finally felt her muscles relax and the tingly feeling of his quirk fade. Standing up, she pressed her fingers together. "Release."

Akaguro landed effortlessly. He wiped the blade on his pants again and sheathed it. He turned and started down the hallway. "Follow me," he said, "I'll show you what a hero is."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoy(?) the setting and thank you for the reviews. I won't be updating this for a week or so because I'll be working on a chapter for my other MHA fic: Pillars. I think I'll alternate between this and that, or do a chapter of one when I get bored of the other. Either way, have a happy new year and I'll see you in 2018!


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